


I’ve Always Seen You, And Now, So Will You

by sin_stories (from_those_fandoms)



Category: Adventure Time, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, marshall lee!changkyun, prince gumball!kihyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 03:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16462136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/from_those_fandoms/pseuds/sin_stories
Summary: Vampires don't have reflections. They can't see themselves. Not even in pictures.Changkyun uses this as a way to mess with Kihyun's perspective while he takes pictures.Kihyun can see the slight disappointment when, occasionally, on default, Changkyun expects to see himself.So, he does something about it.





	I’ve Always Seen You, And Now, So Will You

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to do something for halloween and [this](https://twitter.com/softbot_sin/status/1016216867935883264?s=19) picture of Changki was just begging to have a fic written about it so, here we are.
> 
> Have fun!

This shot would have been a good one. Great even.

If Changkyun would just move his fucking hair.

Kihyun sighs, lifting his head from behind his camera, “Kyunnie, can’t you do- whatever it is you’re doing -somewhere else?”

Changkyun shakes his head, the mass of black hair flopping around to disturb the flowers even more. He sticks out his tongue and pulls at an eyelid.

You see, this has become sort of an issue for Kihyun ever since he had started to date the Vampire King. (Kihyun will go on about how the other is a major pain in the neck for many different reasons if you’ll let him.) Sure, Changkyun used to mess around way before they were together and frustrating Kihyun to no end.

The problem at present is that the brat is now fully aware of how soft Kihyun is for him and is using that knowledge to the fullest extent. Like how he constantly interrupts Kihyun during his frequent photography sessions, knowing that the threats and harsh words are all faux.

Kihyun closes his eyes, silently gathering up strength. He opens them to glare at the body hovering upside down over the field of fluffy looking blue flowers under the cloudy sky.

“Move.”

“Nah,” Changkyun drawls and smirks, “You should make me, Babe.”

“I’ll ban you from the upcoming Ball.”

“You can't do that!” Changkyun’s face turns sour, “Oh, wait. You actually can, Mr ‘Prince of the Candy Kingdom’,” using finger quotes and making his voice sound snooty.

“Yes. Now, get out of the way. I only have a short while left before I have to go back for another meeting about the Ball. I need these pictures.”

“You won't have a date if you go through with that threat, though. So, ha!” Changkyun shoots back and changes position to look like he is lying over the flowers, totally ignoring Kihyun’s orders for him to move away.

“Bold of you to assume that,” Kihyun smiles sweet enough to put his royal title to shame before bringing his camera up, blocking his face.

Changkyun squawks in indignation. He hurriedly glides over to Kihyun, hands flailing everywhere.

“What do mean?! I’m your boyfriend!!”

* * *

Kihyun walks back to the Candy Kingdom with Changkyun. His clingy baby of a vampire has his arms around his neck and is floating behind him like a cloak.

Kihyun is holding up a huge umbrella that shields the both of them nicely from the Sun. It had peaked out from behind the dark clouds just as Kihyun was done taking his pictures. It is still pretty cloudy but, better safe than sorry when dealing with skin highly sensitive and vulnerable to sunlight.

They pass through the kingdom’s gates and make their way to the Candy Castle. Changkyun prattles on about a new song he has been working on and about how he wants to try singing in it for a change, instead of only rapping. He sneakily offers lessons on his axe-guitar in exchange for singing lessons from the _sweetest_ voice he loves. 

Kihyun agrees to help, on condition that he gets to keep his baby’s axe-guitar for a day.

Changkyun groans, long and suffering, before grumbling an agreement. He grits out that this is only happening because he loves his boyfriend very much and knows that said boyfriend will not let anyone else fuck with his precious guitar to avoid unwanted dire consequences.

“You wouldn't dare touch my people, Kyunnie. I know you. That threat is baseless,” Kihyun teases, moving his free hand behind to aimlessly ruffle black hair.

Petulant, Changkyun lifts a hand and knocks the Prince’s crown off his head.

Without pausing in his stride, Kihyun immediately closes his fist around his brat’s hair and pulls, knowing that the little monster had caught the crown and was keeping it to himself in pretendence that it’s fallen. He gets proven right when he feels it drop back on his head, after having fangs press against the back of his neck in annoyance.

Freeing his fist, Kihyun pets Changkyun’s head to pacify him before bring his hand forward and switching his hold on the umbrella.

Humming a tune, he thinks back to what Changkyun said and smiles softly.

_I am so proud that Kyunnie wants to sing for his new song. He must have thought about it quite seriously for him to consider asking me for help. That’s so cute. I’m glad my baby seems to be more confident about trying out singing despite his earlier reluctance to do anything but rap._

_His rapping is really quite good._ _We would probably sound great together, with his rapping and my singing._ _Hmmm, maybe we could do something._

Kihyun’s lips curl in amusement. _Nah, I’m ruling a kingdom and Kyunnie’s heir to another. We would never have time to properly perform together. Maybe in some other lifetime or universe or something._

He quietly laughs to himself about how far-fetched the idea sounds as they enter the castle. Fangs gently nibble and pull at his ear with an inquisitive hum. Kihyun shakes his head, indicating that it’s nothing.

“Prince Gumball!!”

“The official royal title! Oh~,” Changkyun teases and retracts himself from the Prince to flip upside down in the air, hovering right behind him, “Someone’s in _trouble~_ ” he giggles directly into Kihyun’s ear.

“The meeting started half an hour ago and you show yourself only now. This is unacceptable behaviour, much less from the Prince. We are all waiting for you. Leave the demon vampire nuisance and come with me _at once_ ,” Butterscotch Butler snaps, walking away towards the corridor on the left.

Changkyun hisses at her back, jerking forward and clawing the air in her direction like it would rip her apart. Kihyun shushes him from behind, fingers coming up to drag his boyfriend down by his hips. He kisses Changkyun’s ear and turns the other’s body around in his arms to kiss his nose. 

“Love, don't mind her. You know how she is. Always trying to start something or another.”

“Only when you’re with me…”

“So what? I rule this place, therefore, what I say is law. And, I say you’re far from a nuisance and I love you.”

Changkyun smiles, fangs pressing into his bottom lip, “Law, huh? Maybe you should write that down, Babe. Make it official and all that jazz. Call it the ‘Love My Boyfriend Or Perish’ Law.”

“Shut up. I said it to be cute. Also, that’s a horrible name, Love, and I will not perish my people.”

“Not even for me?” Changkyun bats his eyes and pouts, fangs pressing deeper into the plush lip.

“Nope. Sorry, cant do, Baby,” Kihyun nips at the pout, making his boyfriend laugh.

“Prince Gumball! Do I need to drag you to the meeting myself?” Butterscotch Butler shouts from somewhere down the corridor.

“Right behind you!” Kihyun yells back.

He quickly pecks Changkyun on both cheeks, “I’ll see you later, Love.” He runs towards the corridor’s archway in a bid to catch up with her. Kihyun turns and jogs back the last few steps, waving to Changkyun, before he disappears around the corner.

* * *

Rushing to the table where some of his test tubes are starting to bubble over, Kihyun curses out loud.

The Prince has been in his lab for hours, working on his latest self-assigned experiment. It’s more a task he had assigned to himself than an experiment. To get time the time for it, he had sped up the final preparations and finished everything some time back for the Masquerade Ball happening in 7 weeks. Also very much thankful for his habit of planning and preparing things at least two months earlier than necessary.

Kihyun has been researching and toiling away in his lab, failing and retrying and researching some more, with such single-minded focus for the past few weeks. He has no idea what time or day or date it is. Even his meetings with Changkyun don't happen as often as they used to.

(However, Kihyun thinks about him every waking second. Motivating himself to finish faster, do better. All so that he can show the other his successful results.

He wants to see his baby’s eyes grow wide, sparkling. He wants to watch his baby grin so bright that his dimples look like they’ve been carved in place. He wants to witness his baby letting out those cute trills while bouncing in the air, something he does whenever he gets exceptionally delighted about something.)

To minimize any unnecessary waste of time, Kihyun gets his meals brought to him directly while in his lab. Whether he consumes them or not all depends on if he has the time or if his body is screaming at him, at its breaking point.

Sometimes the rest of the royal staff worry so much that they call for Butterscotch Butler to drag him away. She makes sure he is well-fed, clean and as rested as he can be, before letting him leave her sight to hurry back to his lab.

Nobody knows what he is trying to achieve with his experiments. They don’t bother asking either, knowing their Prince won't waste time explaining things when he gets like this.

_“Kyun. You’re in the way, Love.” “I don’t even appear in pictures. Just take the shot, Babe.”_

Kihyun’s face pulls together at the reminder of how resigned the vampire had sounded despite the small smile gracing his face.

He will do whatever it takes to make this.

He _has_ to.

For Changkyun.

* * *

Kihyun loves Changkyun. He does, so much. So very much that if the brat does not get down from shaking the fucking chandelier Kihyun will personally choke him.

(And not in the way the other likes.)

Kihyun has no idea what has gotten into his boyfriend. Changkyun keeps trying to wreak havoc lately and will only stop once he has had Kihyun’s full attention for at least five minutes.

Then, he will smile giddily as he lands in front of Kihyun to hold his hands and kiss his face.

Kihyun has tried asking Changkyun why he keeps doing this and if everything is okay. But, all Changkyun does is ask if _they_ are okay and smiles softly before leaving when Kihyun nods his head or verbalizes his affirmation.

The chandelier clanks noisily.

“Prince, please do something before I throw him out myself,” Butterscotch Butler says, exasperated, before she pushes him into his own office and slams the door shut behind him.

Kihyun groans. He walks to the center of the room and tips back his head. Changkyun waves at him from where he is dangling from a chain of glistening sugar crystals by his legs.

Kihyun waves back weakly, “Baby, can you come down from there?”

“Why? I like it up here. I actually have your attention, finally.”

Kihyun’s eyebrows pull together, “My attention? Love, you always have it.”

Changkyun scoffs softly, but Kihyun hears it, “Like the past few weeks? Yeah, no. I had to do this for you to even leave your lab that you’ve been holed up in for five days.”

“What?” Kihyun says, incredulous.

“Shocking, I know. Who knew I would have had to resort to going back to being a little shit, doing chaotic things as a way of practically begging for you to even look at me,” Changkyun laughs with no humour.

“After being a fucking leech in your side, I bet everyone, including you, must be so glad for the distance. If you’re sick of me always butting in to your life you could have told me, like a normal being, instead of hiding in your fucking lab because of ‘experiments’,” Changkyun grits out, barely staying calm, as he falls off the chandelier and glides to an open window to perch on the ledge.

“My experiments are _not_ an excuse to avoid you. You know how seriously I take them. You also know how serious I am about you,” Kihyun stalks forward, getting angry, “What are you talking about? _How dare_ you say any of that?”

“I dare because you don't spend time with me anymore, pushing me away with some dumb reason or another about needing to spend time alone in your lab. You’re always in your fucking lab,” Changkyun hisses, dropping from the windowsill to land on one of the many bookcases.

Kihyun narrows his eyes at Changkyun’s pacing form, “Maybe, oh, I don't know, it’s because I’m actually _busy_.”

“Busy doing _what?!_ ”

“More important things,” Kihyun retorts sharply.

Changkyun’s body jerks back in shock. His eyes bleed red and his lips curl back to instinctively bare his fangs.

Kihyun realizes what he said and tries to explain, “Changkyun, listen. I didn't mean it like that. Please. I was-”

Changkyun cuts him off harshly with a deafening cackle full of spite. He tips himself sideways right at the edge of the bookcase and holds his face in mock sorrow, “Changkyunnie, I didn't mean it like that. Oh no, I don't want you to think you’re less important. Because, really, you’re actually NOT important _at all_ ,” he sneers and tips over, immediately hovering upside down. Changkyun shuts his eyes and grabs his neck with both hands, opening his mouth to stick out his tongue. Acting dead.

Kihyun whimpers pitifully, “No, Baby. That’s not-”

“Shut up!!,” Changkyun snaps, he swoops over to Kihyun’s work table and kicks everything down.

“YOU CARE ABOUT EVERYTHING, BUT ME,” he roars, getting worked up.

Changkyun darts in irregular patterns around the room. Red eyes stormy and growing into slits; fingers elongating and ending in points; mouth stretching wide, fangs growing bigger as the rest of his teeth sharpen. His body morphs into long, sharp angular features and his hair flares up into flames that flicker wildly.

“YOUR EXPERIMENTS. YOUR LAB. YOUR PICTURES. YOUR BAKING. FUCK, EVEN YOUR FUCKING LIGHTS,” Changkyun’s voice gets louder, resonating demonically.

“BUT. NOT. ME!!”

Changkyun lowers himself to turn and face Kihyun, his eyes flash pitch black for a moment, “NEVER ME.”

“I’M NOT _IMPORTANT_ ENOUGH. NOT _GOOD_ ENOUGH. I JUST WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME AND TURN YOU ‘BAD’. NO WONDER YOU NEVER WANT ME AROUND ANYMORE, RIGHT?

WHY SHOULD A PRIM AND PROPER GENTLEMANLY PRINCE LIKE YOU GIVE AN UNCIVILIZED FUCKER FROM THE NIGHTOSPHERE LIKE ME THE TIME OF THE DAY?!”

“IF YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE, JUST SAY SO. DON’T MESS WITH MY HEAD,” Changkyun spits as he flitters around the ceiling, scratching at it with his claws in agitation.

A beat of silence.

“I love you.”

Changkyun’s head snaps back, looking down towards Kihyun with surprise and he freezes.

Changkyun’s features slowly melt back to their usual state. Bit by bit. Mouth and fangs shrinking together with his face and body. Eyes still sharp, weary, but also confused and lost. Fingers back to their small harmless shape. Fangs blunt enough for him to worry his lip without immediately breaking the skin. Hair short and black once again.

Nothing sharp and angry, just open and scared.

“Baby, come here,” Kihyun raises his hands, cupping around air.

Changkyun hesitates before sinking down to fit his face in the space between the palms. Kihyun gently pulls him down and kisses him.

It is only a soft press of lips, but more than enough for Changkyun to melt in relief. His legs come down to plant themselves on the floor and he takes a step forward to hug Kihyun. He buries his face in the other’s shoulder after the brief kiss and tries to steady himself.

“I thought you didn't like me anymore. I thought that you- you went back to hating me again,” he stumbles out, getting choked up.

“Me not liking _you?_ Love, you are brilliant and stupidly talented and gorgeous and beautiful and so delightful and many _many_ more wonderful things that I would be glad to keep going on about. You make me deliriously happy. I like you so much. I _love_ you so much. I’ve never once hated you, Changkyun. Ever,” Kihyun says into his hair as his arms tighten around the other’s waist.

“Even when I was such a dick to you back then?” Changkyun mutters so softly that Kihyun almost misses it.

“Even then,” Kihyun kisses his head. “Yes, you aggravated me. I didn't hate you, though. Honestly, misguided as it was, I thought you were kind of cute,” Kihyun says sounding amused as he thinks back, “You would have this small satisfied smile on your face after ruining my pastries or opening all the windows at night or suddenly drinking the pink out of my hair or whatever other nonsense you were done pulling. Who knew being a little shit would be a cause for endearment,” he chuckles.

“‘ _Were_ kind of cute’? I’m _still_ cute, okay!” Changkyun sniffs haughtily, glaring at Kihyun without any heat.

“Right?” he asks a second later, sounding less sure, eyes glancing away.

“Of course, Baby. Very cute! In fact,” Kihyun starts, moving his hands comfortingly over the other’s back, “You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in all my life, Love. You probably go against the natural law of how cute anyone should be just by existing.”

Changkyun lips pull wide in a grin, delighted little trills falling from them as he gently scrapes his fangs along Kihyun’s cheek.

Kihyun giggles at the feeling, prodding a finger at Changkyun’s dimple to get him to stop. Changkyun quickly turns his head to hold the finger gently between his teeth and shakes it around like a puppy.

Kihyun outright laughs and pushes his playful boyfriend back by his forehead, glad to see that the other doesn't seem to be distressed anymore. He pecks Changkyun on the lips before walking backwards to reach his empty table (courtesy of one angry demon), hitching himself up onto it. Changkyun happily follows after him to situate himself between Kihyun’s legs. Kihyun pulls him close by the neck to affectionately knock their heads together.

“Changkyun, I would never make excuses like that to avoid spending time with you.Truth be told, I’ve actually done the exact opposite more times than I’d like to admit. But, I truly am busy now. I can't believe you felt unwanted, shit, I am so sorry,” he stresses out.

Changkyun blinks and tries to process the fact that the one and only Prince of the Candy Kingdom has just confessed to deliberately fabricating tales, many times, to simply spend more time with him, the Vampire King who is also Heir to the Nightosphere.

However, Kihyun takes the silence to mean something negative and pulls back slightly to properly look Changkyun in the eye, “Love, I really am very sorry. I was too caught up in trying to quicken the outcome and getting a positive result that it didn't occur to me how I was shutting myself off. You don't have to forgive me, just please know that it wasn't intentional at all.”

Smiling softly, Changkyun shakes his head, “It’s okay. I know you would never do that on purpose. I think I got scared because you usually let me watch you in your lab.

Even if we can't do things together, we always try to at least do things _while_ together. The sudden loss of that affected me a lot.

I know I have no right to tell you how to act or what to do. Sorry for acting like a dick, accusing your experiments of being fake and all that shit, just because I was upset and wanted you to pay attention,” he kisses Kihyun’s forehead as an extra apology.

“It’s okay, Love, you’re allowed to be upset and want attention. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend lately.”

Kihyun goes in for a proper kiss. He delicately holds Changkyun’s face in his palms, like he is worried about suddenly hurting the other. Resting their foreheads together when they part, he sighs.

“I really love that we do things together. I swear it's for a very valid reason that you can't be with me in my lab this time. Though, after myself, you'll be the first to know once everything is successful.”

Changkyun leans back and grins, “Yeah?”

Kihyun’s lips form a cocky smile as his eyes shine with amusement, “Baby, you and your opinions on it are the most crucial part of my experiment.”

* * *

Changkyun flops on the chair just as the camera shutter goes off. He waits for the inevitable nagging that will come.

It doesn't.

He looks towards Kihyun and finds him smiling brightly at his camera. Are his eyes tearing up? What?!

“Babe, was I too slow? Did you already take the pic before I could fuck with your perspective?” Changkyun questions.

Kihyun just beams at him, “I got what I wanted.”

Changkyun shrugs, unbothered, and positions himself more comfortably on the chair. Meaning his legs are now hanging over one arm while his head is tipped backwards over the other.

“Put your legs down and sit up properly.”

Changkyun just quirks an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

“Indulge me. Please?” Kihyun pouts.

Sighing, Changkyun moves to sit on the chair properly. He crosses his legs and rests his right elbow on the chair’s arm, the fingers of his hand hold up his face by his cheek. “Happy?”

“Can you tilt your head to the left, Love. No, the other left. More.

Okay, stop.”

“Nice.”

“Baby, stay still!”

“Why are you suddenly making me pose today? It’s not like it’ll matter,” Changkyun closes his eyes, mouth curling slightly.

Kihyun hums noncommittally as he brings down the camera and takes his time going through the recent pictures. He stops on one and waves Changkyun over.

“Come here, I want you to tell me if it came out well.”

“All your works come out more than well, Babe,” Changkyun states as he slowly floats over from the chair, “Why would you need my mediocre opinions on-” he chokes on his next words.

Changkyun’s eyes grow wide and flicker red rapidly before stopping, an indication of how utterly surprised he is at what he sees on the preview screen. He lands on his feet with a thump.

“Do you like it?” Kihyun asks tentatively.

Changkyun turns to stare at him, fingers trembling slightly as he points to the displayed picture, “That- That’s me.”

Kihyun smiles gently, “I know.”

“H-how- What did you-... I can't- Fuck. Is that real? There is no way that it- _No way_ ,” Changkyun mutters, disbelieving, as he faintly brushes his fingers over the screen.

His body is visible on the chair in the picture. Clear and plain as day.

He looks at ease. His head is tilted back slightly with his eyes shut as the late afternoon’s light touches his face, too dull to affect him in any way but still bright enough to illuminate the area of his face in contact with it. The small lift of his lips, that made its way onto his face after his playful comment about posing, is fond.

Kihyun clicks a button and another picture takes its place. This one is of him in the exact same position but with his eyes open and glancing towards the camera. His gaze is soft and directed at Kihyun behind it, unaware of being captured.

It takes a few seconds for Changkyun to register that this is what Kihyun sees. Something ordinary. Something familiar. Something to love.

Changkyun looks away from the camera to Kihyun in awe.

“I’ve never seen myself since I got turned while killing the Vampire Queen a few years back. Getting photographed isn't supposed to be possible. How is this possible?” Changkyun whispers, scared to talk any louder in case it breaks whatever spell this is and the chair goes back to being empty.

“Vampires _can_ be photographed. Basically, it is a very rare and old type of magic. It’s really unstable too, so I infused it into the camera with my knowledge of magic and science.”

Noticing his boyfriend’s hesitation, Kihyun urges him to take the camera and flip through the pictures.

“It’s all actually really cool and intriguing, I’ll explain it another time because I know you’ll like it. I just had to do some ritual things and add charms and stuff. Creating the lenses were kind of tedious though, since the light wouldn't travel the same and I needed to boil the sap of triam- uh, ahem, yeah,” Kihyun stops himself before he could go on a full ramble, “Ta da!”

“Did you just do jazz hands? What kind of weird ass dream is this,” Changkyun snorts, wiping the wetness from his eyes with a shaky hand.

“Hopefully one where those were happy tears?” Kihyun gently covers the hand with his own and brings it down to lace their fingers together, squeezing in comfort. He kisses Changkyun’s cheek after getting a nod and a “very happy”.

He points at the camera, “You know what else this can do?”

Changkyun tilts his head.

“Take pictures of us together at the Ball next week.”

Kihyun laughs as he watches the realization flood Changkyun’s face, seconds before his mouth gets too preoccupied.

* * *

Pictures.

So many pictures.

The amount taken at the Masquerade Ball was ridiculous. Changkyun had been dragged around, getting pulled into taking a picture with almost everyone. There was even one with a straight-faced Butterscotch Butler standing with her arms crossed as the vampire poked her masquerade mask, the picture slightly blurry since Kihyun was laughing as he took it.

There were a number of miscellaneous shots too. Random guests of the Ball interacting; couples slow dancing in the middle of the ballroom, then, loosening up and raving to pop songs together; friends laughing with drinks in hand; the castle’s staff having fun singing on stage; food getting passed around; different areas of the castle taken for the Aesthetics.

All in all, a great time.

The best picture, of course, was from the most significant moment of the entire Ball. The couple in the middle of the picture are the focus, everyone else a meer blur in the background amidst the falling confetti.

Changkyun is in the air, his body angled diagonally downwards, cupping his left palm against his lover’s cheek. Kihyun is down on the floor, on one knee, holding a small luxurious [box](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X6aVwaHNy5U/VcenxvJTbQI/AAAAAAAABs4/TxphYD7EALU/s1600/black-velvet-antique-style-double-ring-box-brass-clasp-corners-bdkur5-from-1.05-4846-p.jpg) open with his hands that rest atop his love’s right palm. Both sport matching bright smiles as they gaze at each other, [the pair of rings](http://caravaggiojewelry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Caravaggio-London-14K-Black-and-Red-Gold-1-25-Carat-Princess-Black-Diamond-Ruby-Engagement-Ring-Wedding-Band-Set-R623PS2-14KBREGRBD-P1.jpg) catching the light and twinkling between them.

**Author's Note:**

> The black ring belongs to kihyun while the pink ring belongs to changkyun uwu
> 
> This [official comic page](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmQUymmW4AEQU0G.jpg) (from Gumball’s Masquerade story in Adventure Time’s 2017 SpOooktacular comic) kind of gave me the visuals, some plot ideas and other stuff. Also, Changki are in those outfits for the proposal pic!!!


End file.
